The present invention relates generally to hinge pins, and is particularly directed to a hinge pin that may be used with pivoting swing arms of a vehicle lift.
Two-post vehicle lifts typically have pairs of rotatable arms hingedly attached to a carriage that is reciprocable vertically along a vertical post assembly. The carriage typically has an arm mount comprising a pair of spaced-apart flanges providing two axially aligned openings that are configured to be aligned with a pair of axially aligned openings on two flanges of a rotatable arm. When all four openings are so aligned, a hinge pin is inserted in the openings and held in place, providing a hinge or axis for rotation. With the pin in place, the rotatable arm is secured to the carriage and may be selectively rotated about the axis provided by the hinge pin. Such lifts will typically also have a means for selectively preventing the arm from further rotation when the arm has been rotated to a desired position.
Typical hinge pins include a washer welded to one end of the pin and a transverse hole drilled through the side of the pin. Typically, the washer prevents the pin from sliding longitudinally downward through and out of the openings in which the pin is disposed. After the hinge pin has been inserted into the openings and thus properly positioned, a cotter pin is typically inserted into the drilled hole of the standard hinge pin to prevent longitudinally upward movement.
Such hinge pins have several shortcomings. For example, the steps of welding the washer to the end of the hinge pin and drilling the hole in the hinge pin typically require additional machinery beyond the machinery required to produce the pin prior to the welding and drilling. These production steps, as well as the step of inserting the cotter pin in the drilled hole, also cost time and money.
Thus, there exists a need for a hinge pin suited for use with a rotatable arm of a vehicle lift that overcomes these and other shortcomings of standard hinge pins.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.